The bigger producers of Champagne can make excellent wines, even at the entry level. Smaller grower-producers offer a different, often more distinctive expression of Champagne. Here are 10 big brands and 11 small growers well worth seeking out, and a glossary to help you navigate the selections.
These Champagnes have names you might recognize …
Billecart-Salmon
Refined Champagnes, particularly the Brut Réserve ($65); Brut Sous Bois, fermented and aged in barrels ($95); and the rosé ($100).
T. Edward Wines, New York
Bollinger
Renowned for wines that combine power and finesse. The nonvintage Special Cuvée ($80) is superb, as are the vintage Grand Année ($200) and R.D. ($350).
Vintus, Pleasantville, N.Y.
Charles Heidsieck
The nonvintage Brut Réserve ($70) is extraordinarily deep and complex; the other cuvées are just as good.
Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, Calif.
Delamotte
Nonvintage blanc de blancs ($90) is pure, chalky and elegant; the vintage ($125) is even better.
Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.
Jacquesson
Idiosyncratic yet gorgeous Champagnes, from the savory, numbered, extra brut nonvintages (currently No. 747, $90), to the higher-end, site-specific cuvées.
Artemis Domaines, Calistoga, Calif.
Leclerc Briant
Quirky, distinctive Champagnes from a house devoted to biodynamic viticulture and a range of other practices that might be considered eccentric except that wines are so good, like the nonvintage Réserve ($70).
Winebow, New York
Louis Roederer
Across-the-board top quality, from energetic, lacy, harmonious multivintage Collection 245 ($70), which replaced Brut Premier, to the vintage blanc de blancs ($110) to the brilliant, high-end Cristal ($350).
Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Oakland, Calif.
Philipponnat
Ripe, rich nonvintage Royale Réserve Brut ($70) is fine, but the higher-end blends are superb, especially the single-vineyard Clos des Goisses ($300).
Demeine Estates, St. Helena, Calif.
Ruinart
Nonvintage blanc de blancs ($105) is unusually full-bodied, though elegant and fresh; vintage Dom Ruinart blanc de blancs ($285) is superb.
Moët Hennessy USA, New York
Taittinger
Understated wines, from the lacy, toasty, nonvintage Brut Réserve ($60) to the complex Comtes de Champagne blanc de blancs ($250).
Kobrand, New York
For Another Side of Champagne …
Adrien Renoir
Deep, rich, elegant Champagnes from a rising young producer who farms organically, beginning with the barrel-aged Le Terroir ($80).
Grand Cru Selections, New York
Agrapart & Fils
All of the Agrapart wines are lively, precise and expressive, from the entry-level 7 Crus ($75) to the superb Minéral Extra Brut blanc de blancs ($160).
Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.
Bérêche et Fils
A fine range of tangy, taut wines starting with the nonvintage Brut Réserve ($75) and an extra brut rosé Campania Remensis ($130).
Rare Wine Company, Brisbane, Calif.
Chartogne-Taillet
A wonderful array of Champagnes from the northern reaches of the region, including the entry-level Cuvée Sainte Anne ($65) and a group of excellent single-vintage bottles.
Grand Cru Selections
Dhondt-Grellet
This up-and-coming estate farms using organic and biodynamic methods and ages its reserve wines in a solera system. Look for the introductory cuvée “Dans un Premier Temps …” ($80) and Les Terres Fines, an excellent blanc de blancs. ($110)
Grand Cru Selections
Éric Rodez
Intense wines with great finesse made from biodynamically farmed grapes grown around the village of Ambonnay, including the nonvintage Cuvée des Crayères ($90) and a superb blanc de blancs ($100).
AP Wine Imports, New York
Georges Laval
Lively, pure, energetic, mineral Champagnes like the Brut Nature ($120).
Transatlantic Bubbles, Woodbridge, Conn.
Larmandier-Bernier
Pinpoint biodynamic blanc de blancs from the Côtes des Blancs, always full of verve and energy, including the nonvintage Longitude ($85) and the vintage Terre de Vertus ($110).
Polaner Selections
Pierre Péters
Exquisite blanc de blancs, always impeccably balanced and delicious from the nonvintage Cuvée de Réserve ($75) to the single-vineyard Les Chétillons ($400).
Grand Cru Selections
Vilmart & Cie.
Vilmart’s complex, oak-aged wines are taut, rich and creamy, including the entry-level Grande Réserve ($70) and the age-worthy Grand Cellier ($85).
Skurnik Wines, New York
Vouette & Sorbée
Bertrand Gautherot in the Aube is committed to biodynamic viticulture and biodiversity. You can sense the commitment in his deep, pure Champagnes, from the Fidèle blanc de noirs ($105) to the fascinating Saignée de Sorbée rosé ($160).
Avant Garde Wine and Spirits, New York
If you are ready to shop, here are the phrases to know …
Blanc de Blancs
Champagne is ordinarily a blend of some combination of three grapes. Two, pinot noir and pinot meunier, are black grapes, ordinarily used to make red wines. One, chardonnay, is a white grape for white wine. A blanc de blancs, literally white from whites, is made solely from chardonnay and tends to have great elegance and finesse.
Blanc de Noirs
“White from blacks” is a Champagne made only of black grapes, often but not always just pinot noir. It’s more robust than blanc de blancs and much rarer.
Disgorgement
After the wine is fermented and bottled, a little sweetness and yeast are added to the bottle before it is sealed. This starts a second fermentation in the bottle, which produces the carbonation. Before the Champagne is finished, the sediment left by the dead yeast is expelled, or disgorged, from the bottle.
Disgorgement Date
Two bottles of nonvintage Champagne, if they are disgorged at different times, will taste like different wines. That’s why more producers are adding the disgorgement date to the back label. The information is especially helpful if the dominant vintage in the blend is also identified, so consumers can how long the wine aged before disgorgement. Sometimes this information is not on the label but is available by scanning a QR code.
Dosage
After disgorgement, the Champagne is generally sweetened a bit before it’s corked to balance the often searing acidity of the wine.
Brut
The amount of the dosage determines how dry the Champagne will be. Brut is the most common designation, indicating a wine that can range from 0 to 12 grams of residual sugar per liter, though nowadays most bruts are 6 to 10 grams.
Extra Brut
Indicates a very dry Champagne, 0 to 6 grams of residual sugar per liter.
Brut Nature
Indicates no dosage, though technically it can have a small amount of up to 3 grams of residual sugar per liter. Synonyms include brut zéro.
